CR, do you have an E36? I have noticed since reading this post that it is actually easy to moneyshift this trans and that the gates feel different from my other cars. The tips given don't seem to work quite right. I'll keep at it just to make sure, but it is definitely different from the E30 trans.

One thing I have noticed about the E36 (having driven them almost exclusively since '95) is that, in the M3 at least, when the transmission mounts start to get old, the transmission will definitely shift to the side under heavy acceleration. That changes the gate position just enough to screw you up if you're not paying attention. I have gone to poly transmission mounts on them now, for just that reason.

I'm not sure why it's so easy to money-shift the E36 but it is. I have a good friend that's been autocrossing and tracking his E36 M3 since he bought it new in '95. He's a great driver and has a ton of seat time in the car but even he hit 2nd trying for 4th at the track last year. Fortunately for him, he was fast enough on the clutch that he avoided any damage but it was REALLY close. It's just one of those quirks with the E36 I guess.

Actually, if you escaped the money shift with a top-end rebuild, consider yourself lucky! And don't beat yourself up too badly; I know of an experienced, careful, successful racing driver who managed a VERY expensive downshift in a 135i. . . .

Every time I hear of such an incident, I think, "There but for the grace of God. . . ." It's easy to say, "Naaaah, never happen to MEEEeee, I'm more CAREFUL than that!" But I remember a double-clutch downshift (no, it's not really necessary, but it's harder to unlearn than it was to learn) once where for some reason I hesitated before coming off the clutch: intuition? Luck? Turned out I had not come down into fourth, but rather into second. . . . If I had proceeded normally, you guessed it. And I am VERY careful with gearboxes, having spent years keeping spindly Saabs together. Their gearboxes were made out of tissue paper.

By the way, the E36 is hardly the only candidate. Today's six-speeds have VERY narrow gates. Moreover, guys driving the S54 engine like to believe it really has a redline of 8,000 rpm; think of running it up to eight in third, then banging a fast shift into---HOLY JESUS! I HIT SECOND!

I guarantee that guy's hurtin' more than you!

Satch Carlson

"The first failure of communication is the belief that any is taking place."

I won't mention names, but someone I know, who is now a succesful racer, managed to go from 2nd to REVERSE (luckily-ish for him on a downshift) during an autox. This was on his E30 M3 when he was 18 or 19. He got away with a bent shift arm actuator.

Heard of another guy in Richmond that moneyshifted his nearly new E46 M3. The computer logged that the redline before the motor completely fragged was 8300 (IIRC, maybe 8400.) Because daddy was such a good customer (read rich), though, it got warrantied!!!

The computer logged that the redline before the motor completely fragged was 8300 (IIRC, maybe 8400.) Because daddy was such a good customer (read rich), though, it got warrantied!!!

Wow, that's really f***ing annoying. It seems nowadays ich people get away with almost anything.
What I don't get though is why they didn't charge the hell out of him if he was rich? Bah. Probably because he'll buy his next BMW from them cash.

I've read online about this and found legions of people who have moneyshifted their E36 M3's. That's just... insane!

And how the hell did that guy go from 2nd to reverse? I can't go into reverse without breaking my right arm! This was true even before my SSK and bushing renewal...

That pretty well sums it up! At my very first autocross ever, my brother let me drive his new (wow...that was 20 years ago...!?) E30 M3. I tried to go to first for a really sharp right-hander and couldn't figure out why I couldn't get it into first. After 3 or 4 tries it finally went in but it wasn't until after I finished the run that they told me I was obviously trying to put it into reverse because the grinding noise was horrific! I had no idea because I was so involved in the run. If I had pushed a little harder, there's no telling what ugly things may have happened to that little M3. Like MooseheadM5 said...it's intense.

CR, do you have an E36? I have noticed since reading this post that it is actually easy to moneyshift this trans and that the gates feel different from my other cars. The tips given don't seem to work quite right. I'll keep at it just to make sure, but it is definitely different from the E30 trans.

I don't have one; have driven them in schools. Yes; that gate is narrow. When somebody comes up with a better way to avoid screwing the pooch on a bad shift, I'll be glad to push it.

One thing I have noticed about the E36 (having driven them almost exclusively since '95) is that, in the M3 at least, when the transmissionmounts start to get old, the transmission will definitely shift to the side under heavy acceleration. That changes the gate position just enough to screw you up if you're not paying attention. I have gone to poly transmission mounts on them now, for just that reason.

I had that exact problem. Hard braking at the end of a straight and down shift. Several times I could not get into gear. Once I had to go off at Oak Tree (VIR) because I was coasting through the turn trying to find the gear. Tranny mounts took care of it for a while. Until my return spring pretty much was stuck.

Well, this is all very enlightening. As a new M3 owner, I'm glad I came across that crazy shifting method on the UUC website that also seems to be endorsed by the Bondurant school. I'm no racecar pro so I'll give it a go and how that shifting method works.

Haven't had any close calls yet, but seeing as I just typed that I bet tomorrow I'll accidentally shift from 3rd to 2nd on the way up to 4th. Go figure.

I definitely use that method on my other cars, but it doesn't seem to work the same way on the ti. I always have to pause and make a very deliberate shift. Anyone have other ideas? They were new mounts 3 years ago (maybe 10k?) but I do drive it hard when I drive it.